In this issue…
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FRONT
PAGE
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Grand Canal ExpERIEnce 2007
Don't miss the best teacher institute ever. It's
coming July 8-15!
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Geofest 2006
Last fall's Geofest in NYC was a
great success. Read all about it.
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In Memoriam:
Mary Atkins
Editor's Best for 2007
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Re-Discovering the Grand Erie Canal
Where to go to find traces of New York's gift
to the nation, the Erie Canal.
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Opportunites for Teachers in 2007
Looking for great learning experiences
in geography this summer? We got them here!
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Editor's
Best
for 2007!
In every
issue I try to give you my recommendations for good books, films, web sites,
and places to visit that help us better understand geography. So, here they
are…
Best website: MAPPER-ACME
This excellent
resource uses maps from Google Earth, but it much easier to get
images. You can find maps from anywhere, which can be changed with a click
to satellite imagery or to topographic maps (if in the USA).
Best Museum Visit: Go
to the Adirondack Wild Center (Tupper
Lake) a new interactive museum in the heart of the Adirondacks. Here
you learn about the natural history of the mountains. Nowhere in the state
is there more variety to the natural landscape than this mountain wilderness.
To learn more visit the Wild Center
website.
Best Books on the Erie Canal:
Since this is the year of the Grand Canal
ExpERIEnce, I want to recommend two books. The first is Wedding of the Waters, by Peter L. Bernstein,
an account the building of the canal, including the political
intrigue between DeWitt Clinton and Martin VanBuren. The second is a children's
book, The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness. It not only has great illustrations,
but it also contains some nice descriptions of basic canal operations (i.e.
how a lock works). Adults will enjoy this little book, too!
Best Scenic View: There
are many great views in New York State. I chose the Storm King Highway, near West Point, because
it shows the Hudson River estuary at its narrowest point. This is the only
break through the Appalachians, and it was critical to the success of the
Erie Canal, which connected to the Hudson near Albany.
Best Geo-Flick: Al
Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, is now out on video.
It is really a well-constructed movie about global warming, and its impact
on the climate of the Earth.
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In Loving Memory
of
Mary Atkins
The New York Geographic Alliance lost a dear friend and colleague in August.
Mary Atkins passed away after a valiant fight battling cancer. We are
all saddened by the loss of this vibrant dynamic woman. Mary was
an Alliance teacher consultant and Board member, and her passing deeply
affected all who were influenced by her. The following is Mary’s
obituary in her own words. There are suggestions for memorial donations
to be made in her memory. (A photo of Mary is shown at the top of this
page).
Mary Elizabeth Dixon Atkins
“On Tuesday, August 8, 2006, I left this world to
go to a better world, a more, pleasant and peaceful world. I was
born on Dec. 22, 1944 to the happy parents of the late Lloyd and Nettie
Dixon. They provided a loving foundation for me to flourish in life
educationally and spiritually.
I graduated form Poughkeepsie High School (1962)
and SUNY New Paltz (1966). I enjoyed 34 years of teaching middle school
students in the same school district where I experienced many great years
of learning. Additionally, my life’s journey brought me back to serve
on various committees and as an officer of the New Paltz alumni association.
My spiritual base was developed, first, at home,
by my parents and then the fellowship and teachings at the Second Baptist
Church. As a young person, I was involved in numerous youth church
activities which include singing, ushering, teaching Sunday school, reciting
poems for holiday programs and so much more.
In the summer of 1967, I was blessed with my only
child, Arthur Randolph Atkins, Jr. (Randy). My son, you have
grown into a man that mother would be proud of. I wish you much success,
peace and happiness as you continue to travel through your life’s journey
with Latoya.
I leave this world with beautiful memories of my
brother, Marshall Dixon; my sisters, Ursula Jamison, Lorraine Lawson, and
Candice Dixon, my nieces Alicia and Jennica; my great-niece Symore; my adopted
sister/friend, Lula Mae Harris, and my very special second mother, Rev.
Mrs. Willie B. Jenkins. I am thankful for all the people I have had
the opportunity to befriend in my lifetime. If you feel I have touched
your life then rest assured that you have touched mine also. Now I
rest so I can appreciate what God has in store for me. I hope everyone
will continue to carry God’s love in your heart until we meet again”
Memorial services were held on Saturday, August
19 at the Bethel
Missionary Baptist Church in Wappingers Falls.
Donations can be made to:
Dutchess Outreach, 29 N. Hamilton St, Poughkeepsie,
NY 12601
Hudson River Housing, 313 Mill St., Poughkeepsie,
NY 12601
Dutchess County Coalition for the Homeless,
28 Snow Terrace,
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
SUNY New Paltz Foundation
c/o Mary Atkins MidHudson Book Scholarship
1 Hawk Drive, HAB 501
New Paltz, NY 12561
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Pictured above are images from Editor's Best for 2007.
They are, starting from the upper left: the cover to the Amazing
Impossible Erie Canal, a view of the Hudson River on the Storm King
Highway, the cover to the Wedding of the Waters, the Glacier Wall
(it moves!) at the Adirondack Wild Center, the poster of An Incomvenient
Truth (Al Gore's documentary, and a satellite photo of Lock 17 near
Little Falls taken from the Mapper-Acme web site.
Interested in more top-notch geographic material? Read Ginny's reviews of
two books on page 6.
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